Dolly Parton laid to rest at private family funeral in Nashville

Dolly Parton was buried in private family funeral in Nashville on August 28, following her death at 80

Dolly Parton was laid to rest in a private family funeral in Nashville three days after her death at the age of 80.

The country music singer died on August 25 following a brief battle with cancer. A private service for her immediate family was held at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Nashville, Tennessee, on August 28, according to details shared by her family.

Parton was buried next to her husband, Carl Dean, who died in March 2025 after nearly 60 years of marriage.

Her niece, Lainey Mae Parton, confirmed the funeral in an Instagram tribute posted on August 29. “This is a really hard post for me to make,” she wrote. “I wanted to wait until after my granny was laid to rest yesterday before I tried to put any of this into words.”

Parton's family had previously said that a “private service will be held for immediate family”, in keeping with her wishes. They also encouraged those who admired her to find other ways to honour her memory.

Her nephew Brian Seaver also revealed that Parton had expressed a preference for how she wanted to be buried. “Dolly was a farmer, just like her daddy,” Seaver said in a video shared on Parton's Instagram.

“He farmed the soil. She farmed songs and happiness. Dolly called me and said she wants to rest in a beautiful bed of plush cotton because after a life wearing heavy rhinestones, she finally deserves to be comfortable and have some rest.”

Parton had previously discussed her wishes for music at her memorial. In a 2014 interview with Entertainment Weekly, she said she wanted the country-gospel song “If We Never Meet Again” performed, explaining that it had been her father's favourite and was sung at his funeral.

She also acknowledged that her 1973 song “I Will Always Love You” might be played after her death.